


The Astronomy Tower Addiction

by Ctenophore



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Lily Evans Potter, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, F/M, Falling In Love, Hidden Relationship, Lily Evans centric, Love, Marauders Friendship, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 14:33:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11807910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ctenophore/pseuds/Ctenophore
Summary: In her first year, Lily Evans receives a letter from her sister telling her to never come back home. Upset, she runs through Hogwarts, finding herself in the Astronomy Tower. Except she's not alone.Lily Evans has a lot more in common with Sirius Black than she ever thought.That day starts a series of fateful encounters up in the tower. Follow Lily and Sirius through these snapshots of their life at Hogwarts, experiencing love, heartbreak, and the constant struggle of ethics and personal identity





	The Astronomy Tower Addiction

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea that has been floating in my head for a while. I've always like the idea of Lily and Sirius being good friends, but then I thought, what-if?
> 
> This will technically be able to fit in with canon, because it will end up with Lily and James getting together, however bumpy the road is. 
> 
> It was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but then it got a bit out of hand, so now I'm just going to do it year-by-year. Also, since these are only snap-shots, and it focuses mainly on Lily and Sirius, some Characters may not have been mentioned yet. (Namely Peter and Snape) or are only very quickly mentioned. I haven't forgotten them, they're just not important to the story yet. We may see more of them later though.
> 
> Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

_First Year_

 

Lily Evans was eating lunch in the dining hall when the mail came in. Lily didn’t even look up. Coming from a muggle household, she rarely received mail by owl, and she wasn’t expecting anything.

Which made it all the more surprising when a barn owl swooped over her head and dropped off an envelope right into her eggs and bacon. 

One of her roommates, Mary MacDonald, sitting beside her, leaned over. “Ooh, did Lily Evans get a letter? Who’s it from?” Mary’s eyes lit up as she teased, “Oh! Is it from a secret admirer?”

“Give me a second to look at it and I’ll tell you,” Lily responded lightly. She picked the letter up off the plate and wiped off the food grease on her robes. She certainly hoped it wasn’t from a boy, the only one interested in her was that obnoxious James Potter.

Speaking of which, James Potter, who always sat within talking distance of Lily, asked with his mouth full of toast, “Wha? A secwet admirer? Let me see it!” James reached out a hand for the letter, knocking over the pumpkin juice of one Remus Lupin. 

Remus looked up from his book, only to roll his eyes at the mess. He smacked James’ hand away, saying “Oh, just leave it alone. It’s her mail, let her read it.”

Internally, Lily thanked Remus, but thought it would be better to ignore James’ disgusting behavior altogether. She looked at the envelope to see the sender. “It’s from my parents,” she said lowly. She hadn’t expected them to write her at all, not knowing how to use owl mail. With renewed excitement, she ripped open the envelope to retrieve the letter.

_Dearest sister,_

_Now that you’ve been gone for a few months, I have found that I am much better off for it. Mother and Father are paying more attention to me, and all but forgetting you._

_Basically, what I’m saying is that we have gotten used to you being away, and I think it would be best if you stayed at that wizard school of yours, and never came back to my home._

_In fact, you shouldn’t write either._

_Sincerely,  
Petunia Evans_

Lily stared at the paper in shock. She felt her eyes sting, but she couldn’t look away from the short letter. She turned it around to the back, looking for any sort of explanation, but found none.

Remus noticed her distress, and asking quietly, “Lily? You said it was from your parents, is everything alright?”

His words tore her away from the letter. She looked up to see all her friends giving concerned looks. Even that detestable James Potter looked worried about her.

She didn’t need their pity. With a deep breath, she pushed her feelings down. She pushed away from the table and stood up, “Yep, all good. I just realized I forgot my charms book up in the dorms. I’ll go get it, and meet you guys in class.”

She walked away quickly, and so she didn’t hear James ask, “Wait, I didn’t think we had Charms this afternoon?”

 

Lily ran. She ran down empty halls and up moving staircases. She didn’t want to go back to the dorms, it felt too much like hiding. But she couldn’t go to class. She couldn’t face them all. So she didn’t. She ran, up and away. 

She found herself up in the highest tower. The astronomy tower. As if in a trance, she walked over towards the open windows. The fresh air, the view for miles, maybe it would help her. Give her perspective. She walked, slowly now, weighed down by her thoughts and emotions. 

That’s why it took her so long to notice someone else, sitting with his legs dangling over the ledge. She didn’t notice him, not until he greeted her, “Evans,”

Startled, she looked up at her unexpected companion. “Black?” She asked, surprised.

Sirius Black scoffed in response. “Not for long, if my family has any say in the matter.”

Lily felt like she was intruding. She and Sirius had never really got along. Both intelligent, but in different ways, their wits clashed against each other. Still, she couldn’t just walk away now, it would be too rude. So, she asked hesitantly, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Sirius laughed harshly. “No, not really.”

Lily sighed slightly in relief. “Yeah, me neither,” she admitted.

Sirius gave her a calculating look. Then he looked away, back out the window he was sitting in. “Sit down,” he invited, patting the spot next to him.

Lily hesitated, wary of the height they would be sitting at. But then she thought of her sister and how she would never take any risks. In spite, Lily silently sat down next to Sirius Black, and dangled her legs over the edge.

They sat there for days, or maybe minutes, it was hard to be sure. Being so high up, it felt like the clouds in the sky were more reachable than the ground. Lily felt like she could step away from her life, and think of nothing but the winding hills and forests below. She could see the lake, glistening in the sunlight, and forget all about her troubles.

Then, as the sky started to grow darker, Sirius whispers, “He hates me.” The words seem to fade into the wind, untraceable.

Lily is slowly brought back into reality. “What?” she asks gently, not fully able to focus on his words.

“He hates me,” Sirius repeats intensely, full of emotion. He turns to Lily, who looks back at him. “How could he hate me? My own brother?”

Lily Evans knew that things had to have been tough for Sirius. It was common knowledge that he came from a dark family, full of hatred, and he rejected their philosophy, and turned instead to the light. But Sirius Black had always acted like he was on the top of the world, and nothing could bring him down.

Lily had never seen him more vulnerable. He looked to her, his dark eyes wide and glistening, begging her for answers. She knew in that moment that there was more to Sirius than she had ever known. He had been troubled by his family, but he had remained strong against them and towards what was right.

Lily Evans couldn’t say whether or not she liked Sirius Black. He had a large ego and enjoyed annoyed people. But in that moment Lily Evans respected him more than she had anyone else in her life.

She didn’t have the answers he needed, not really. But she understood. So she spoke slowly, finding the words as she went along. “The people we love the most, are the ones most capable of hurting us. That’s why it hurts so much, to think your own sibling could hate you. Could wish to never see you again.” Lily looked down, thinking of her own situation. “I don’t think he hates you though, not really. He doesn’t agree with who you are maybe, but, he’s still your brother. Just like- just like Petunia is still my sister. They love us, they just feel betrayed. So they turned that love they had for us, that raw emotion, into something darker. Your brother called it hate maybe, but it’s not. It’s just his way of expressing his love to you.”

Sirius was silent for a minute, pondering Lily’s explanation. “So, you’re saying that they’re pushing us away because they want us to what, go back to the way things were? But then, how are we supposed to fix it? I can’t go back, I’m not the person I was anymore.”

“No, you’re not,” Lily agreed easily. “I think that what we’re going to have to do, is show them our love. Make them see that we have changed, but that doesn’t mean our love for them has.” Lily thought for a moment. “That’s what I’ll do. I’ll write my sister back. She said she never wanted to see me again, so I’ll tell her that I can’t wait to see her. I’ll tell her that I love her, and me being a witch doesn’t have to change anything. That I understand it’s hard, but we’re sisters, and we can do anything together, as long as we try.”

Sirius looked at Lily with carefully guarded hope. "Will it work?" he asked

"I don't know," Lily responded honestly

Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. Lily recognized it as a trait picked up from spending so much time with James. “Okay. It's better to try. I’ll write Regulus a letter. I’ll tell him that being in Gryffindor doesn’t change anything. He’s still my brother, and I love him.”

“Pinky promise,” Lily demanded, holding out her own pinky.

Sirius was caught off guard. “Wha-what? What is that?”

“Oh right, sorry, it’s a muggle thing. Nevermind, it’s actually pretty stupid. It’s for little kids really.” Lily’s face started turning red. She had gotten comfortable enough in the conversation, she had forgotten that she was talking to Sirius Black, rebel with a cause.

Sirius frowned. “Wait, no, I wanna learn it. You said it was a pinky swear? Do we just hold pinkies?” He reached out and grabbed her pinky with his own.

Lily’s flush didn’t go away, but she calmly explained. “We shake pinkies. It’s basically a handshake that confirms both people will follow the agreed upon terms. Kinda like an unbreakable vow, but without the repercussions.” She shook their pinkies up and down, then started to extract her own. Sirius didn’t let go, though.

“So there are no consequences? What’s the point then? Why wouldn’t I just break it?”

Lily thought for a moment. “Trust, I guess. You just have to trust each other.”

Sirius grinned, and let go of Lily’s hand. “Trust, huh. Okay Evans, you’re on. We’ll both write letters to our siblings.” He started to rise from their position sitting in the window.

“Lily,” she replied, surprising herself as well as her companion, who turned back to look at her. “Uh, you can call me Lily.” Given the depth of their conversation, it only felt natural to extend the invitation. 

“Call me Sirius,” he replies coolly, "I like it better than Black anyway.” With that he walked away, back down the tower.

Lily watched him walk away, then took a second to look back out over Hogwarts’ grounds. It really was beautiful. Then she sprang up onto her feet. “Oh man. Hey wait Sirius? What time is it? How many classes have we missed?!” her voice turned shrill, and she sprinted away, following Sirius down.

There are some moments you can’t share without liking each other, and missing half of your classes in order to bare your hearts to each other on the top of the astronomy tower is one of them. 

\-----------------

The next day was a Saturday. There was a big quidditch game, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Lily, not big on sports, spent it like a normal weekend and slept in before heading to breakfast. She came just as people were starting to clear out. Lily could see most of the girls from her dorm heading over to game already. Not a big deal, she thought to herseld, she could just eat by herself.

“Sirius, come on! We have to go now if we want good seats!” James Potter called to his best mate, dragging him away from the large dining table.

Sirius laughed like it was all a joke to him. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” he said, and stuffed his mouth with his last piece of bacon.

It struck her then and there, as Lily watched the scene unfold. She had never seen anything more beautiful. His eyes, bright with the happiness of teasing his friend. His lips, turned up into a lazy smile. His beautiful, dark hair pushed back, messy in a way that you knew was the result of a lot of careful styling. 

It hit her like a brick. Lily Evans had a crush on Sirius Black. The black sheep of the Black Family, the easygoing, cool member of the marauders. Prankster, lazy arrogant arse. And Lily liked him. Because she knew that there was more to him than that. He was intelligent, sensitive, and he loved deeply. And Lily wanted nothing more than to run her fingers through his perfectly messy hair. 

She saw that James and Sirius were heading towards her to walk out of the room. She cleared her throat, straightened her shirt, and put on a smile. Maybe this time, she would actually go to a quidditch game. Sirius might ask her to accompany him, and she would just casually say that she was headed that way anyway. She could walk with them, sit next to Sirius. Maybe they could talk more-

He was about to walk past her, she had to say something. “Oh! Hey-”

“Evans,” Sirius cut her off shortly, without slowing his pace. James looked at Lily in interest, but kept pace with Sirius.

Lily felt gutted. Evans? She had said to call her Lily. But he was leaving, she didn’t want him to think he had affected her in any way. “Black,” she said, just as coolly. And not to be rude or incite suspicion, “Potter,” with that she walked over to the breakfast table, sitting next to a tired looking Remus Lupin. 

She could hear Potter exclaim behind her, “Did you hear that! She greeted me! What do you think that means?”

She could even her Sirius’ low chuckle. “I don’t know mate. Now come on you lovesick dog, the game’s about to start.”

Lily didn’t really feel like eating anymore. Remus, next to her, looked at her. He smiled and greeted, “Good morning Lily.”

Lily sighed. “Morning,” she echoed hollowly. 

\-------------------

That night about an hour before curfew, Lily was pacing her room. She had spent the rest of the day studying, but now that she was left with nothing to do, she was restless with her thoughts.

What did Sirius mean by not acknowledging her? Was that his was of saying that day was a one time thing, that they weren’t really friends? He had said to call him Sirius- was he just being polite?

Lily didn’t know. What she did know was that she wanted to see him again. She wanted to talk to him again. She _needed_ to. It was midday when she met up with him in the astronomy tower last time, but maybe…

She had to try.

She ran up to the tower, knowing that if she stayed out much later, she’d be late for curfew. But she just had to check, she had to know. 

She finally reached it, she walked in. Breathing hard from the run, her eyes desperately searching the room. There he was, sitting in the window, legs dangling. He was a dark silhouette against the setting sun. He was beautiful. And Lily felt like she could breathe again.

He turned, having heard her come up. Taking in her slightly disheveled appearance, he smiled. Not the big, arrogant smile he had on around James and his other friends, but a nice, gentle smile. “Lily,” he greeted.

Lily smiled back, a content smile. “Sirius,” she said, her eyes sparkling with joy. She went over and joined him on the ledge. Looking out over the grounds. They didn’t speak at all, and couldn’t stay long due to the late hour, but they were both happy to sit in silent company.

The next week they both wrote up letters for their siblings, and brought them up to the tower for reviewing before sending them off.

The rest of first year went by the same way. Evans and Black would not change how they acted during the day, still cold and antagonistic. Lily and Sirius, however, had a heightened connection, and an understanding that surpassed words.

Whenever either felt down, they would head up to the Astronomy tower. If they were lucky, there would be someone up there waiting for them. If not, they would still find comfort in the room, whether from the view, or from the memories. 

Some days they would talk. They may yell, or cry, but they would find comfort. They may laugh and grin, finding pleasure in each others company.

Sometimes though, they wouldn’t have to say a word. They would just sit next to each other, and watch the sun set over the grounds of Hogwarts.


End file.
